Staffing shortage at northern Ontario school forces students to start year with virtual classes

Jonathan Migneault · CBC News

· Posted: Aug 20, 2026 2:45 PM EDT | Last Updated: August 21

Students at an elementary school in Moosonee, Ont., will start the school year with virtual lessons due to a staffing shortage.

“We have not yet been able to establish the administrative leadership and stable office staffing necessary to safely operate BBS (Bishop Belleau School) each day,” said Northeastern Catholic District School Board CEO Tricia Stefanic Weltz in a letter to parents.

According to job postings on the school board’s website, Bishop Belleau School is still looking for a principal.

The school board is also searching for a temporary school secretary, educational assistant and temporary educational assistant at the junior kindergarten to Grade 8 school located in the small community not far from the James Bay coast.

In her letter to parents, Weltz said the decision to start the school year with virtual learning “has not been made lightly,” but added the school board would not compromise on student safety.

CBC News reached out to the Northeastern Catholic District School Board for comment but did not receive a response by deadline. 

Ontario Education Minister Paul Calandra told CBC News the Northeastern Catholic District School Board assured him they would be able to hire a principal soon and get students back into the classroom within a week.

“Sometimes it is a challenge to get an administrator or teacher into some parts of the province, but you just can't accept that we couldn't have [been able to that], especially given that one is also co-located with the public school,” Calandra said.

Calandra added that the school board asked for his permission to allow for online learning, but he only allowed for a week of virtual classes before bringing in a new principal.